US drone strikes claim nine people in Yemen

Sanaa: At least nine people have lost their lives in two separate US drone strikes in Yemen’s southwestern and northern provinces of Hadhramaut and Jawf.

In one of the strikes, the drone fired three missiles at a gathering of suspected al-Qaeda militants in Riyan Airport of Hadhramaut’s provincial capital city of al-Mukalla, located about 800 kilometers (497 miles) southeast of the capital, Sana’a, on Saturday, leaving five people dead, Arabic-language al-Bawaba news website reported.

Reports say militants have reportedly been holed up in the airport for months. Washington has been conducting targeted killings through the remotely-controlled armed drones in Afghanistan, Pakistan,Somalia and Yemen. The US says the airstrikes target members of al-Qaeda and other militants, but according to local officials and witnesses, civilians have in most cases been the victims of the attacks.

The United Nations says the US drone attacks are “targeted killings” that flout international law.